A personal blog about quilting, sewing and life as a mother. Lots of free tutorials including beginning quilting tutorials, binding tutorials, and other sewing projects like bags, quilt blocks and nursing covers.

December Giveaway

A week ago Saturday, I erroneously mentioned that I was going to have a giveaway for SewMamaSew giveawaypalooza. Except I got my dates wrong. Yeah, sounds like me. Well it gave me time to think and to change my mind, slightly. I am not going to link up to SMS (although I highly recommend stopping by – there is great loot!) because I would rather have this giveaway go to all of you who make a trip to stop by on a regular basis. Thank you so much for coming to visit me.

So for you I put together a bunch of goodies including an I-spy Charm pack and quilt pattern. This will be the grand prize for the first winner chosen, but I will also pick 5 others and send you one of my patterns (your choice.) So if you’d like to enter feel free to leave a comment. Giveaway goes until Friday, Dec 16 at midnight MST. GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Winners listed at the bottom of the post.

Homemade Christmas Crackers for sharing with the 2nd grade class about “Christmas in England”

I may be a little bit scarce this week – we’ve got a full slate of Christmas hoopla going on (Orchestra performance, dance recital, elementary school Christmas sing, piano performance, 2nd grade class party, husband’s office party . . . and somewhere in there I need to find time to finish all the Christmas shopping before the kids get out for Christmas vacation on Friday. Whew!) I’m still waiting for the “all is calm” part of Christmas to show up, but I’ll take the craziness too.

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Comments

Aww that&#39;s lovely of you, I&#39;d love to win! <br /><br />As a brit it would be nice if you could mention the rest of Britain as well as England with your 2nd graders. Us Welsh and Scottish often get forgotten even though along with northern Ireland we&#39;re all part of the UK. <br />Xx

Thanks for the giveaway! Oh I love those owls I almost have no more in my stash and am so reluctant to use the rest of it up. Thank you for being willing to part w/ it!<br /><br />Happy holidays to you~

Ooh, what a fab prize, thanks for the chance to win. I might even forgive you for having &#39;Christmas in England&#39; rather than &#39;in the UK&#39;, you know, as they&#39;re not one and the same, and there&#39;s a good 10 million of us kicking around in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that do crackers too ;o)

Thank you so much for a little of your crazy time and making this giveaway. It is really nice that you are thinking about your readers even when you have such a bussy time. Have a nice Christmass and I hope you will find a moment of peace soon.

Hi Amy! Great giveaway! I enjoy your blog very much! As much as the Grand Prize looks wonderful, I&#39;d love to be a runner-up and win your new pattern, Double Crossed. I love that one! Keep up the great work.

Good luck with the &quot;all is calm&quot; part of Christmas. Sometimes you just have to look real hard for it, but it will come. I love all the celebrating, but it can be exhausting too, so be sure to set aside some quiet time for yourself:) Merry Christmas!

thanks for the giveaway Amy! whoa that SMS giveaway is huge! and pretty neat how they set it up this year…but i decided i dont have time for it..boo hoo…really need to get some sewing done for Christmas!! merry christmas to you and yours! xo

I am not sure there is any part of Christmas that is really calm anymore. At least not in my world. I get one day a week off and that day is non-stop running. Drives me mad! Thanks for a great giveaway. It is much appreciated.

Thanks for the giveaway, I&#39;m happy to be a regular visitor. I hope you have fun with your British Christmas activities. I&#39;m headed home soon for a real British Christmas in the north east, so exciting!

I&#39;m a recent follower and would love a chance to win one of your prizes. The I Spy charm pack really caught my eye because of the owls, which was my school mascot all those many years ago. What a pretty quilt it makes! Thank you once again for the opportunity! It sounds like you have a busy week so have fun!

I think the &quot;all is calm&quot; comes late Christmas morning when you are surrounded by gift wrap, candy wrappers, orange peels and content kiddos playing with new toys.<br /><br />Thanks for the sweet giveaway!

I kind of wish I didn&#39;t link up to SMS myself! I get some of the strangest comments! The ones that make me mad are when they say they don&#39;t use what I&#39;m giving away (I&#39;m giving away charm packs). What the heck?!?!? Then why are you entering? Just because it&#39;s free? Rude! Anywho! I love what you&#39;re giving away, especially that tape!!!

Thanks for a great giveaway!<br />We&#39;re in end of term meltdown too – combined with my grandmother being taken ill and my Mum being more stressed out over her than usual! only 11 more days and it will all be over!

This is a very busy time of year but it can be so filled with the joy of giving if we keep Christmas in our hearts!! I&#39;m so looking forward to this Christmas because our daughter and grandchildren will be visiting from Maine! Thank you for an opportunity to win! Good luck to all. Be blessed!!

Oh yes I remember those school days, and miss them too! Enjoy the performances they end way too soon. Love the crackers! and thank you for the giveaway for your loyal readers out here. Enjoy your week!

Oh, I would love the chance to win! My 10 year old is getting a sewing machine for Christmas and my 20 year old is sewing all of the time! 3 machines in 1 house makes for lots of projects. Thank you for the chance.

How sweet are you that is some amazing stuff. This year has flown by and this holiday season has been crazy! I&#39;m trying to slow down and enjoy it, but it&#39;s been hard! Thanks for a chance to win! Santa is coming early this year! <br />January T

Oh man, I&#39;m tired after reading all you have to do this week! The all&#39;s calm doesn&#39;t come until after the kids are grown and gone, and even then it&#39;s kinda iffy Great give away amidst all the craziness. Happy Holidays!!

That is very sweet of you! Thank you for a chance to win!<br /><br />What fun for the second graders! I had no idea what they were…thanks for the link. They look really fun. I may have to look into making homemade ones for my family. I am sure they would be a hit.<br /><br />Again thanks for a chance to win! merry Christmas!

Sounds like a you guys are having a fun Christmas. Although, this Christmas we will be spending it a whole world away (or so it seems) from the family…I have never been this excited about Christmas. Both my kids are finally at the age when they both appreciate everything christmas and this makes us very very happy! Hope you guys have a good one…and thank you for the chance to make it even

Have a wonderful holiday with your family-don&#39;t worry, we&#39;ll all still be here when you get time after all of the holiday madness is over &amp; calm prevails once again-yeah right, like that ever really happens. LOL.

I love that you made homemade Christmas Crackers!! My mother used to make those for us every Christmas. She was born in England and I love those big British Christmas Eve dinners wearing fun crazy crowns

awww! you are very generous! if it makes you feel any better…I probably would have gotten mixed up on the dates too…I am like that!<br />have fun and enjoy all the craziness! I am trying to remember that for myself!

What a generous give away. Good luck on finding the &quot;all is calm&quot;- it doesn&#39;t really seems to happen at my house until Christmas morning while the kids are playing with their new toys. For me the closest I come to calm is acceptance of the crazy!

Every year we say we&#39;re going to go a little more low key but everything is still crazy. I guess we just embrace the friends and family it brings us to and enjoy the holidays!<br /><br />Thanks for the chance to win! <br /><br />Jamie @ Ever Sew Clever

Love the Christmas countdown Quilt! Will you be making up a pattern for it? Just wanted to add that we make Christmas crackers in Sweden too. Yesterday was Lucia, and the Lucia girls walked in the schools with candle crowns on their haeads, singing Lucia carols. So pretty when it is so dark in the mornings now.

What a great giveaway! I totally understand what you mean, somehow I&#39;d also feel much better if I&#39;d had everything already sorted for Christmas, but on the other hand the preparations are a big part of the fun! I always try not to stress too much about the details and that works out ok most of the time.

Love the crackers, as a former first grade teacher I taught about Boxing Day for the Celebrations Around the World and we did include English Crackers in the Social Studies segment. Seeing those brought back great memories for me! Thanks!

This certainly is a busy time of year. What a lovely giveaway, I&#39;d love to win. I hope to make an I Spy quilt someday, It is on my list, and I&#39;ve been collecting fabrics for it. I think it would be such fun for my grandchildren someday.

What a lovely idea – I might do the same next week, or just after Christmas. I love the SMS giveaway, but I&#39;d rather reward the few who are always around to read my little blog.<br /><br />Your week sounds like great fun, even if it is busy. Have a wonderful time!

Thanks for sharing all year long on your blog – you are always an inspiration! Hope you have time to enjoy the holidays once you get through this &#39;marathon&quot; of a week! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Good luck on the Christmas shopping. I always say I&#39;m going to start earlier next year, but I never do. Something always comes up. Thanks so much for your generous giveaway. All those goodies look wonderful.

I came here via an email I received from Accuquilt with you as a blogger Spotlight feature!<br />Loved the article on Not All Triangles are Created Equal!<br />Thanks for such a great give away and I will follow your blog!

I hope your calm comes soon! Mine won&#39;t be here until Christmas break is over (and it hasn&#39;t even started yet!!). It&#39;s all worth the craziness though Thanks for the chance at your fabulous giveaway. I have collecting prints for an I Spy Quilt and these would be a perfect addition. Oh, and congrats on your Blogger Spotlight with Accuquilt! Smiles~Beth

That looks like a fun quilt to make, I have 4 grandchildren that would love to have one. <br />As far as waiting for the &#39;all is calm&#39; not sure any of us are patient enough to get all the way there. My all is calm time is when I sit down to my machine and no one wants me to do something for them. Doesn&#39;t happen often, but is heaven when it does.

Ah yes, the Christmas madness… The Twelve Days of Christmas seem to have turned into the 24 days of crafty (happy) panic. Still, my 2 little ones are having a great time each morning using their advent calendars to learn to count. &quot;Mum, is it a one and a four this morning?&quot;. Thanks for the seasonal giveaway.

That&#39;s very nice! I hope you make it through the week and can enjoy the holiday! I&#39;ve done absolutely nothing to get ready yet, which is fine (no little ones yet), but I hope to get to my holiday baking soon. That&#39;s my favorite part, I think!

I had to smile…at your 391 comments and all without linking up to SMS…but the with over 2000 followers, I can see why you have so many. =)<br /><br />I&#39;ve had a busy week too…and it&#39;s not over yet. I hope you&#39;re able to breath. Merry Christmas and thanks for a lovely giveaway.

Love your blog and love the secret gift pack! Good luck juggling all the school events. Even though it seems like a hectic time great memories are being made that are priceless! <br />Merry Christmas to all!<br /><br />Beth

Thanks for the generous Christmas give away, my wife Beverly would love it. I remember always having christmas crackers on the tree growing up in York,Yorkshire, and enjoying pulling them apart for the snap and the little gift. It&#39;s to bad they are not so well enjoyed here in Western Canada.

Good luck with all of your many, many things to do!<br /><br />In December my sewing room gets so little use that it becomes the best place to hide gifts. Shhh…don&#39;t tell the toddler. He hasn&#39;t figured it out yet! <br /><br />Thanks for the giveaway Amy!<br />–andy

Christmas really has crept up this year! I thought I was organised but there&#39;s still more to do. Just one more sewing project… (think I&#39;ve said that a few times in the past few weeks!<br /><br />Thanks for a lovely giveaway

I am so stoked about this giveaway! I just started quilting fairly recently and am now addicted!!! I love your work and I would love to enter your contest! Enjoy your Christmas festivities and I hope you have a fabulous Christmas! Thank you!

Oh such a nice giveaway Amy. Thanks for the chance to win. I&#39;m collecting I Spy prints to one day make a quilt for the kids with things to hunt for. <br /><br />Still waiting for the calm part of Chrismas too and hope it will be here next week! <br />:)

WOW! I just found your blog and am sooo happy I did! I&#39;ve been quilting for a year now (self taught), and am always looking for tutorials and patterns to try! Your site is very informative and easy to navigate!!<br />I would love to win anything!!!!<br />Thanks for sharing your knowledge!<br />Kim

What a great giveaway! I finally made it, I am slowly trying to catch up with my google reader whenever I get a chance, but I am almost 400 posts behind. I hope you had a wonderful week (since it is already almost done!)

I would love to win your giveaway. Thanks so much for the opportunity. Love your blog and all you sharing. My husband was born in England and we always had crackers at his parents house for the holiday.

I hate that I missed the giveaway but absolutely love your blog. I just stumbled across it earlier this week and am so excited to try and make my first quilt. Your tutorials are wonderful and you are such a talented person! Thanks for sharing your talent with us

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